Workers Solidarity Movement

It is no exaggeration to say that the Irish trade union movement is in crisis. Even a cursory glance at trade union density figures demonstrates the depth of the crisis.  Just 34% of the overall Irish workforce, and only a worryingly tiny 20% of part-time workers, are members of trade unions.[i]

Former Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald's death was announced this morning. As is usual in such circumstances we are being subject to a load of old guff, very rarely in such instances are we treated to an honest assessment of a mans life instead we are expected to believe in the individauls perfection.  The great phrases you will hear for the next week will be that he was "a patriot who always put the national interest first", "an honest man, a fair man", "he did the state some service" etc. At least the last is true, Garret Fitzgerald was a thouroughly pro-state, pro-capitalist, pro-EU, pro-imperialist politician.  He never wavered in his support for the capitalist order.

At the moment, the predominant view in the Government , the media and in business circles is that the two large, high-profile state visits by the British Queen and the US President will give a massive boost to Ireland, both in terms of increasing tourism and in terms of improving Ireland's current image of a bankrupt and disfunctional isle in the eye's of the world's media.

However, is this viewpoint accurate? It seems to me to be a naive and ill-thought out endeavour, without thinking seriously about the facts and implications.

Since our formation in 1984 the WSM has produced over a hundred articles providing an analysis of Irish Republicanism from an anarchist perspective.  These have ranged from analysis of the issues of the day (eg the Peace process or the targeting of building workers) to detailed re-examination of the history of the republican rebellions and movements.  You can find many of there articles in our Irish Republicanism collection of articles on this site along with some of the key documents of Irish republicanism.

Other related article collections include those on Loyalism, the 1916 rebellion, the 'Peace Process' & Sinn Fein.  We are in the process of creating these collections, use the search box to find additional articles or check the Imperialism listing which currently contains 150+ articles.

Responses to the economic crisis and the bank bailout in Ireland, Greece and Portugal, and reflections on recent revolutionary events in the Arab world will feature among the many topics up for discussion at the 6^th Annual Anarchist Bookfair which will be held in Liberty Hall, Dublin on Saturday 14^th May.

10,000 soldiers and Gardai will be deployed to protect the queen of England and US president Barrack Obama during their visits in May. Over 20 million euros will be spent by the state on the visits.

A motion at the annual Congress of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) today calling for the “setting up of a policy study group” within the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to “conduct an urgent enquiry into …. the feasibility of the Irish state re-taking into public ownership” Ireland’s Natural Resources has been passed by a unanimous vote - a level of support that took even those who strongly supported the motion by surprize.

Kevin Rafter's “Democratic Left: The Life and Death of a Political Party” is a study of its short lifespan from 1992, when it split from the Workers Party (WP), to 1999, when it merged with the Labour Party. As such, it can be seen as a companion piece to Scott Miller and Brian Hanley’s “The Lost Revolution”, a history of the Workers Party. Rafter’s work, however, is somewhat different as it has an academic style, being his PhD thesis, which some may find off-putting. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining read for those with an interest in the dynamics of political organisations. All of the main protagonists were interviewed as part of Rafter's research and internal party documents are widely referenced, so his version of events is reasonably accurate, one would suspect.

It’s the time of year again that the Workers' Solidarity Movement is busy finalising the last minute details for our annual Anarchist Bookfair. Much has changed since we first began the venture back in 2006, not least the scale of the event, but also the implosion of the Celtic Tiger and its catastrophic effect on Irish society.

The editorial group for Irish Anarchist Review 3 are seeking a volunteer to produce the cover art for Issue 3 on the theme 'imagining the future' in a positive and pro-revolutionary sense (i.e. not a dystopia!).  3,000+ copies of the issue will be printed to be distributed at the Dublin anarchist bookfair and other nodes.